Howe Gelb

Howard “Howe” Gelb (born October 22, 1956, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer based in Tucson, Arizona. Gelb's approach to music is collaborative and he has recorded with a number of side projects. In a 2004 interview with Gelb, The Guardian wrote "Gelb's way of dealing with it was to treat Giant Sand (not to be confused with his 1970s electro-rock band Giant Sandworms) as a loose, uncompetitive, mutually supportive musical collective, a place for friends to hang out and play. 'I just liked the idea of having this kind of removed world, this brotherhood—the idea of a band being something more than a front person or dealing with the throes of fame.'" In 2013, he worked with the Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall on her fourth studio album Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon. He co-wrote and co-produced, and sang on several songs. His own solo album entitled The Coincidentalist was released on New West Records in November 2013. An impromptu performance at the wedding of a mutual friend lead to a long-distance collaboration under the name Geckøs with M. Ward and McKowski of The Lost Brothers. The group released its first eponymous album in September 2025. Source: Valley of Rain (1985) Ballad of a Thin Line Man (1986) Storm (1987) The Love Songs (1988) Long Stem Rant (1989) Swerve (1990) Ramp (1991) Center of the Universe (1992) Stromausfall (1993) Purge & Slouch (1994) Glum (1994) Goods and Services (1995) Backyard Barbecue Broadcast (1995) Build Your Own Night It's Easy (1997) Chore of Enchantment (2000) The Rock Opera Years (2000) Unsungglum (2001) Cover Magazine (2002) Selections Circa 1990-2000 (Compilation, 2001) Infiltration of Dreams (2003) Too Many Spare Parts in the Yard Too Close at Hand (2003) Is All Over the Map (2004) Provisions (2008) Provisional Supplement (2008) Blurry Blue Mountain (2010) Tucson (2012) Heartbreak Pass (2015) The Sun Set Vol.1 [Vinyl LP] (2017) Returns To Valley Of Rain (2018) Arizona Amp and Alternator (2005) The Open Road (2016) Incidental Music (1983) Dreaded Brown Recluse (1991) Hisser (1998) Upside Down Home (1998) Upside Down Home 2000 (2000) Confluence (2001) Lull Some Piano (2001) The Listener (2003) Upside Down Home 2002 (2003) Ogle Some Piano (2004) The Listener's Coffee Companion (2004) Upside Down Home 2004: Year of the Monkey (2004) 'Sno Angel Like You (2006) Fourcast: Flurries (2006) Upside Down Home 2007: Return to San Pedro (2007) Spun Some Piano (2008) 'Sno Angel Winging It (Live album) (2009) Alegrías (2010) Melted Wires (2010) Snarl Some Piano (2011) Dust Bowl (2013) The Coincidentalist (2013) Future Standards (2016) Further Standards (2017) (with Lonna Kelley) Gathered (2019) Cocoon (2020) Howe Gelb's Schlager Christmas Album (2022) The Band of Blacky Ranchette (1985) Heartland (1986) Sage Advice (1990) Still Lookin' Good to Me (2003) Slush (1997) Not on the Map (2021) Drunken Bees (1996) – Giant Sand documentary by Marianne Dissard Looking for a Thrill: An Anthology of Inspiration (2005) – Howe Gelb interviewed High and Dry: Where the Desert Meets Rock and Roll (2006) – documentary which includes music and interviews with Giant Sand members This Band Has No Members (2006) – Howe Gelb solo concert film of his Japan tour in 2005 Ingenious (2009) - feature film soundtrack Jackie (2012) - actor ("Paul") Quantum Cowboys (2022) - actor ("Blacky"), writer, music; winner Best Original Music Award, Annecy International Animated Film Festival (2022) "Bio". home. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2017-11-12. "Howe Gelb | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-11-12. TucsonSentinel.com; Bertsch, Charlie. "The languid ferocity of Giant Sand's Howe Gelb". TucsonSentinel.com. Retrieved 2025-08-29. Masley, Ed. "AZ music legend on his new band: 'We caught on fire.' How to see them". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2025-08-29. Sylvie Simmons (September 2004). "True Grit". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-02-20. "Heartache Gives KT Tunstall's New Album A Split Personality". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-11-12. "Howe Gelb - The Coincidentalist". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-11-12. Handler, Shane (26 September 2025). "Howe Gelb, M. Ward, McKowski Complete Colorful Long Distance Collaboration As Geckøs: Gelb Explains Band's Evolution (INTERVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 21 April 2026. "Howe Gelb". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-11-12. "Drunken Bees : Giant Sand 'documentary' DVD from Marianne Dissard". Marianne Dissard. Retrieved 2017-11-12. "V/A feat. Jon Spencer – Looking For a Thrill An Anthology of Inspiration (DVD, US) | Pop-Catastrophe.co.uk". www.pop-catastrophe.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-12. "High and Dry the Movie: Where the Desert Meets Rock 'n' Roll". Upstairsfilm.com. Retrieved 6 May 2017. "Workshop Lo-Vi :: Other Films/Projects". www.lo-vi.com. Retrieved 2017-11-12. Ingenious (2009), retrieved 2017-11-12 IMDb (25 April 2024). "Quantum Cowboys Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 25 April 2024. Biography portal Ow Om Records Live recordings by Howe Gelb at the Internet Archive